The Restored Church of God is a non-christian cult that denies essential Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, monotheism, and teaches that salvation is a process that can be lost.  The Church broke off from the worldwide Church of God in May of 1999. It was started by David C Pack (b. 1948).  Mr. Pack was trained by Herbert W. Amstrong (d. 1986).  The Church is a non-Christian cult.

The Restored Church of God is headquartered in Wadsworth, Ohio.  It owns 100 acres of land and a 40,000 square foot building that houses the main administrative offices.  The Church has infiltrated 60 countries and is distributed over 90 million “books, booklets, articles, videos, and magazines.”  it claims to have had over 45 million visitors to its online ministry with its materials available in 11 languages.  It is a 12,000 square-foot mail processing center. The church produces “The Real Truth magazine” which is produced 10 times per year.¹rcg.org/hq-info.html  It also produces The Pillar, a bi-monthly magazine, annual youth camps, and conventions²rcg.org/landing/inside_rcg.html

What does the Restored Church of God teach?

The Restored Church of God denies the Trinity.  It says that God is comprised of two beings who lives in the northern part of heaven. These two gods are “God” and Jesus. It says that being born again means being resurrected from flesh to spirit. The RCG teaches that the earth was re-created, that people will not go to hell and will be annihilated, that Christians do not go to heaven, that Jesus was raised on Saturday, and that Jesus could have sinned. In addition, it teaches that the Holy Spirit is a force and that salvation is a process that is not earned, but can be lost. The restored Church of God is not a Christian organization. CARM strongly recommends avoiding this group since it teaches false doctrine about God and Christ.

Quotes from Restored Church of God

• Angels
  • Angels are created beings
    • “…understand that God created angels to be “ministering spirits” to assist the “heirs of salvation”.    (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
• Born Again
  • Born again occurs at our resurrection, changed from flesh to spirit
    • “Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God—but spirit can! Because Christ wanted to allow no room for misunderstanding, He likened spirit to wind. Like wind, spirit is invisible. It cannot be seen. Only at the resurrection are all true Christians changed from flesh to spirit—born again.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
• Christian
  • Christian Defined
    • “A Christian is one who copies and builds the character of Jesus Christ now, so that he can later enjoy membership in the God Family with Christ and the Father.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
• Earth
  • Earth was recreated
    • “Satan rebelled against God’s government prior to the re-creation of Earth (Gen. 1:1-3) and the creation of Adam and Eve”… “It is clear that the Earth became chaotic after God had created it—between the events described in Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
• Eschatology
  • Premillennial
    • “God has allotted 7,000 years—seven millennial days—to work out His Plan “here below.” We are nearing the end of the sixth day (6,000 years) allotted to man under Satan. God’s government will soon be established, bringing His perfect spiritual law to all nations of Earth.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
    • “When Satan is removed, peace will literally begin to break out all over the world. The saints will be ruling with Christ from Jerusalem—having restored the government of God in His kingdom, administered by the Family of God.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
• God
  • God is two beings
    • “God is one Family—presently composed of two Beings.”  (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
    • “…the two Beings in the Godhead had a “profession”: creating, planning, designing, building and sustaining…Both Beings worked together in one mindset. ” (rcg.org/books/ttjc.html)
  • God is reproducing himself
    • “Paul understood how God works in Christians. He recognized that salvation (Rom. 6:23), and even faith to receive it, are free gifts. They cannot be earned. But this does not mean God is not actively working (requiring good works) in human beings, as He reproduces himself.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
  • God lives in the north of the heavens
    • “God lives in the north part of the heavens or the “sides of the north.” (rcg.org/books/witd.html)
• Heaven
  • Christians do not go to heaven.
    • “Did you notice Jesus Christ “comes” to Earth rather than Christians “go” to heaven?…Heaven is not the reward of the saved—inheriting rulership over Earth is, as we shall learn…We have read that Christians “inherit the earth”—and “rule with Christ.” How, when, where and why does this take place? Once the answers are known, the counterfeit salvation about heaven, taught by almost every professing Christian church, collapses for the fiction that it is!” (rcg.org/books/dtsgth.html)
• Hell
  • No eternal hell
    • “Now you understand there is no eternal punishing, in an ever-burning hell, awaiting the unrepentant sinner.” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
• Holy Spirit
  • The Holy Spirit is God’s power
    • “Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is the power that emanates from God…The Holy Spirit is the means through which the Father transmitted power to Christ.”  (rcg.org/bics/rcgbic-016.html)
  • The Holy Spirit is not part of the Trinity
    • “The Holy Spirit is definitely not a member of a mystical trinity, on an equal basis with the Father and Christ.” (rcg.org/bics/rcgbic-016.html)
• Jesus
  • Jesus was God in flesh, one of two beings in the family of God
    • “Jesus was God in the flesh, a member and representative of the kingdom of God, yet He was physical.” (rcg.org/books/ttjc.html)   And, “God is one Family—presently composed of two Beings.”  (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
  • Christ’s resurrection was not on Sunday
    • “if Christ died on the late afternoon of a Wednesday Passover and was resurrected three days later on the late afternoon of the very next Saturday. Thus, the resurrection did not even occur on Sunday—period!”  (rcg.org/books/crwnos.html)
  • Jesus was raised from the dead.
    • “If Christ is not risen from the dead, then He cannot send His Holy Spirit to beget Christians at repentance and baptism.”   (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
  • Jesus could have sinned
    • “With the ultimate goal of bringing mankind into salvation, a Savior was needed, One for whom sin was possible, yet sin-free so He would be a perfect sacrifice, taking onto Himself the penalty of sin—death (Rom. 6:23)—in mankind’s stead.” (rcg.org/books/ttjc.html)
• Man
  • We do not have an immortal soul:
    • “Not an Immortal Soul. Most people do not understand the relationship between men and souls. Almost everyone has been taught and assumes that every person is born with and possesses an immortal soul. The popular belief is that, upon death, the souls of sinners go to hell forever, while the saved go to heaven forever.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
    • “This scripture is not ambiguous. It is plain. The wicked do not burn forever—they burn up. They turn to ashes, stubble.” (rcg.org/books/witd.html)
    • “We have seen that human beings do not have life inherent within them. They are not born with an immortal soul. Since you are not immortal, your lifespan will cover a certain allotted time, after which you will die.” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
  • Human nature is satan’s nature
    • “…human nature appeared when the eyes of Adam and Eve were “opened.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
    • “Therefore, it is really satan’s nature that is being labeled as human nature. In fact, once it is injected into people, Satan’s nature becomes natural to them. It becomes their nature—now, human nature.”  (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
    • “The evil spirit of Satan’s influence was injected into their [Adam and Eve] minds at that moment as the very first appearance of “human nature.” This is how their “eyes were opened.”  (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
    • “Human Nature Is Not Inherited. Grasp this! Human nature did not come from God, but rather from Satan. But human nature is not inherited—it is acquired! Adam’s children and all succeeding generations did not “pass it on” at conception.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
    • “Therefore, it is really Satan’s nature being labeled as human nature. In fact, once it is injected into people, Satan’s nature becomes natural to them. It becomes their nature—again, human nature.”  (rcg.org/books/witd.html)
  • Man is of the God kind
    • “Man was made to look like, was “made after,” the God “kind…“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after his kind…” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
• Sabbath
  • Must keep Saturday Sabbath to be a true Christian
    • “The subject of keeping the Sabbath as God’s command for true Christians is a big subject requiring its own book to explain it.”   (rcg.org/books/crwnos.html)
• Salvation
  • Is a process
    • “Salvation, though of “grace…through faith,” involves good works. This means that salvation is a process and not something that happens immediately upon “giving your heart to Jesus.” (rcg.org/books/wdye.html)
  • Is not earned
    • “Do not misunderstand. There is nothing you can do to earn eternal life. Absolutely nothing! But you can earn eternal death.” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
    • “Make no mistake. It cannot be earned—it is a free gift!…There is absolutely nothing that a Christian can do to merit or earn it…Salvation comes as a free gift by grace, through faith!” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
  • Conditions for, having the Holy Spirit
    • “God does hold the power to grant the “gift” of eternal life. But, we will later learn, it is a gift with conditions given only to those who have qualified. Make no mistake. It cannot be earned—it is a free gift!…There is absolutely nothing that a Christian can do to merit or earn it…Salvation comes as a free gift by grace, through faith!…Since it is only true Christians who will be saved, then we must know what IS a true Christian…It is that simple! One either has the Spirit of God, and is a Christian, or does not have it and is not a Christian—is “none of His.” All those who are truly converted must have the Holy Spirit in them...Understand this point. We are not justified by works, but by the blood of Jesus Christ…It is this Spirit in them that, when they are changed, makes eternal life—salvation—possible.”  (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
  • Salvation can be lost.  Eternal Security is denied
    • “Almost certainly you have heard the term “Once saved, always saved.” It is common among the masses of professing Christians. The problem is, we have seen that it is not biblical—it is not what the Bible teaches!” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
    • “Christianity is an endurance test. There is nothing automatic about it. Christians can fail in this lifetime if they do not continue on the right path.” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
    • “This is a caution to all. Salvation is not easy—not automatic. It can slip away if we let important knowledge and need for action “leak” from our understanding.” (rcg.org/books/jwis.html)
• Satan
  • Satan is a fallen being
    • “Lucifer was a brilliant being—an “angel of light” (II Cor. 11:13-15). Lucifer means “the light bringer.” This brilliant, wise, perfect being once brought light to all that were around him. He rebelled, sinned—thus becoming the “prince of darkness.” His rebellion turned him into a twisted, perverted being.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
  • Satan is an invisible spirit
    • “Satan is an invisible spirit, meaning he can keep his presence unknown.” (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
  • Satan will ultimately be destroyed and not exist
    • “The devil is thrown into a lake of fire—and fire consumes him from the inside out—coming “from the midst” of him. He turns to ashes, no longer existing. This is total destruction!” (rcg.org/books/witd.html)
• Sin
  • Original Sin is false
    • “Millions more believe the unbiblical doctrine of “original sin.” While Adam and Eve certainly did sin, the Bible teaches nothing about any “original sin” committed by them, which is passed on, generation by generation, to every person. The term is found nowhere in scripture and is a fiction of men.”  (rcg.org/books/dgchn.html)
• Trinity
  • The Trinity doctrine is false
    • “But is the Bible’s God a trinity—three persons in one being? Can this be proven? Or is God a Family—and can this be proven? If the “trinity god” is false—if it is not the God of the Bible—it must be rejected. In its place must come an understanding of the true God…”In fact, you will learn that Satan is the author of the trinity doctrine—that this false god is a counterfeit—a substitute deity.”  (rcg.org/books/ttigtio.html)
    • “You will learn that the teaching of the triune, “three-in-one” god comes from the great false universal religious system, described in Revelation 17:5 as “Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” This “woman church” has used the trinity to infiltrate and deceive all of traditional Christianity.” (rcg.org/books/ttigtio.html)